Several thousand people marched in downtown Madrid  yesterday/ on Saturday to protest austerity measures they say will lead to cuts in cherished national health care and the privatization of public services. Spain is experiencing its second recession in three years, is burdened with an unemployment rate of nearly 25 percent and social unrest is on the rise.  The government has pushed through nine straight months of tough austerity measures which have prompted Spain's 17 regional governments, some of which are heavily indebted, to slash spending in health care and education.